[codeflo]

After having read 2/3 of this, I began to entertain the idea that this might indeed be an honest praise of Alan Turing's work, without the Wolfram ego spin that we all expect. One can hope, right? Unfortunately, that was right before Wolfram goes on to explain how much further Wolfram sees than Turing ever could, how Turing would be impressed by all the significant results of Wolfram, how enthusiastic Turing would have been about Wolfram Mathematica and Wolfram Alpha, and finally, how Wolfram Wolfram Wolfram Wolfram.

In other words, this is exactly the article I expected.

[arketyp]

I wish you could give Wolfram a break and look at him with liberated eyes. I don't think there's anything exceptionally egocentric about this article unless you look for it - in fact I find it quite disturbing that you would want to make this celebration of Turing into a piece about Wolfram's ego. Sure Wolfram's glasses are no doubt tinted by his own ideas, but what entrepreneur's isn't? If any, people at HN should be aware of this and I find it sad the lack of sympathy for a man who, when it comes down to it, has actually done good things and contributed to this world.

[codeflo]

It's interesting that you measure Wolfram's behavior by entrepreneurial standards. Indeed, I have much respect for his commercial successes, Mathematica is a great and useful program. And I have no real qualms about him boasting that Mathematica and Alpha are the greatest inventions since sliced bread, that's to be expected of anyone trying to sell a product.

But Wolfram is also a scientist, and the ideals in science are a bit different. A scientist is supposed to be humble, admit the limitations of his work, and acknowledge the contributions of others. This is expressed in the famous quote by Isaac Newton: "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants." Of course scientists are only human and don't always hold up to that ideal (maybe Newton least of all), but it's still important to recognize the difference between a scientific argument and a sales pitch.

[enneff]

> This is expressed in the famous quote by Isaac Newton: "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants."

Ironically, this was a quip at the expense of Robert Hooke, who was particularly short in stature.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton#Fame

[codeflo]

I've heard about that, and I'm not convinced. Here's the quote in context:

> What Descartes did was a good step. You have added much several ways, and especially in taking the colours of thin plates into philosophical consideration. If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.

So if it's (also) meant as a quip, it's a friendly one. And in either case, the saying goes back to the middle ages and was always meant metaphorically.

[enneff]

Indeed - it is truly nauseating. This made me want to slap the guy:

"But I fully expect that long before I did, he would have discovered the main elements of NKS, and begun to understand their significance."